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The Unexpected Apprentice (Retro/PrinceCaspian)

"well, these do have a curious property... If the animals are nearby the vent and inhale the fumes they are typically under the effects of the fungus. They're quite literally in another world and wouldn't run away because they would have no idea you're there. As for the cracking of pots, it doesn't happen often. Just so long as when I made them there wasn't any air in the clay." Elland grinned.

He put the mushrooms into the earthenware jar and put the lid onto it, making sure that it was at least snug against the rim. He then stoked up the fire with a bellows so that it was hot. He they used a disc with a long handle on it to shove it all the way to the opposite corner of the kiln. "It needs to be hot, but it can't be directly up against the fire. Once it is dried this is a very powerful ingredient for many medics and alchemists. It does one more fantastic trick as a powder, however. That I will show you once these are dried. I am beginning to suspect something about you Royce, though I can't say just what that is at the moment. Plus, this is how I do one of my favorite jokes." Elland winked for a moment, playfully. he caught himself for doing that and chided himself. He didn't want this girl or any of the other staff thinking that he would do favours for girls just because they were cute. Mainly because it was true.
 
The hairs on the back of her neck rose. Did he somehow know about her magic? Royce was sure that she had not revealed that to him but it was possible that mages could sense their own kind. Nervously she chewed on her bottom lip. Of course he didn't know, she reassured herself. If he did then, he would not dance around it. Magic was a rare gift and more unusual within the peasant class.

Questions would have flown and accusations about how she managed her powers would have been tossed around.

"O-Oh no. There is nothing terribly special about me... um, is there anything more I need to know about taking care of you fungi garden? If not I would really like to do my other chores."
 
Elland looked at Royce discerningly. "Very well, as you wish. As for the fungi garden, no, not really. There is a word that I use that the glowing fungi react to in order to illuminate themselves. It's a tricky word, but that word is 'A-Kinai' which is from Hungary. They react to a couple other languages, but Hungarian works best." He smiled. "That will help you see better. Oh yes, and the constrictor vine just needs a good swift kick if it get's a little too graspy." Elland pulled the earthen ware jar out from the kiln and poured the dried, shriveled toadstools into a mortar and ground them into a fine powder.

"I use these on the staff, Royce... You're certain it's Royce? Anyways, it's one of my main sources of amusement. I only do it on occasion, but it's a delightful trick. I ask them to do things like clean the spots off of the floors or wash the sunbeams off of the walls. It's delightful fun and keeps me entertained. The effects only last a day, but oh what a day. Only Evander has either figured it out, or is immune. He's the best servant I have ever had, but he is also the least fun. I simply put this in the morning bread and the day is set before me. You must never tell anyone of my fun though. As for you. Your duties will be a little different on these days that I entertain Royce. We will discuss this later. For now, please attend to the fungi while I get my parchments and charcoal for sketching. I will show you how I do it."
 
The young woman paid close attention to the word. In her head she said it over and over again. Light certainly was useful in such a dark and dreary cellar. Not to mention the color the fungi casted was rather pretty. Royce's lip curled at the mention of the creeping vine. Instead of kicking, she'd likely toss some sort of energy at it to make it back off. Drastic but effective; even plant life that groped her got what was coming to them.

"I'm certain that is my name," she said as he continued on, making sure that her voice carried over his for a moment. The man certainly did talk. A lot. Too much. She wondered if he was lonely at all from the way he went on. All of this explaining felt as if it were going on for quite awhile and, really, she did not know how to feel about him doping up servants for personal amusement.

An eyebrow quirked. What other duties did he mean by that? Instead of asking him what his intentions were, she simply nodded her head in response. "Of course, my lord."

Her back turned to him and she did as he instructed her to, leaving him to fetch the charcoal and paper. Like he had shown her she went about the place and moistened the caps of the mushrooms. Whenever the plant crept up on her, she used a concentrated blast of magic and fired it at the vine (after all, the lord was out of the room). This little trick wasn't much and anyone with magic could do it. A normal person likely wouldn't even recognize it for what it was but a sentient plant got the meaning of it loud and clear.
 
Elland made his way up the stairs. He knew that something was different about her. He would discover it soon. Today he would prepare his mixture for the staff and make sure that they were all well out of sorts. He liked watching them scurry about the house in their trances. It was simple amusement and for the most part the staff seemed to enjoy themselves. He would, of course, warn Royce, since she was responsible for more than just cleaning and maintaining the house.

He arrived in his study and pulled out the charcoal and the paper. He was certainly capable of magically doing his impressions, but found the act of actually sketching was soothing and comforting. Perhaps she may find the same sort of exercise appealing after learning how to sketch. Perhaps not. In any case, he was going to teach her a few skills other than being a common servant. If she was as uncommon as he thought her to be, he might become very, very interested in helping her make her own way. In the meantime, however, there were skills to teach and refine.

He meandered down the stairs back into the room and looked around. The mushrooms were sprayed sufficiently and they all looked more or less satisfied. He then realized that the constrictor vines were wrapped tightly around the pot they were kept in. They did not creep out to greet him like they normally did. He looked at them, noticing no bruising on the leaves or stems. He snickered to himself. He had to be right with this one, now he just had to find a way to expose her. He handed over the charcoal and paper. "So here's how this works. I find the best way is to start with an outline. The outline is the shape of the plant you are sketching. Then, after you sketch the outline, you begin adding the detail. Pock marks, spots, patterns. It all gets added in after. Let's try one." Elland pointed to a simple, white mushroom growing in a pot by itself.
 
Royce looked over her shoulder when she heard footfall. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. If he had caught her whilst she was doing that rudimentary bit of magic she was unsure what could have happened. Powers like that were rare and even rarer amongst someone of her class.

He handed her the paper and explained how sketching worked. The charcoal felt grubby and grainy in her hands. It was flimsy, too and she knew that she was going to have to use a soft touch or else the stick would snap in her palms.

She did as she was instructed to do. To the best of her abilities, that is. Even with a light touch, the charcoal still went on the paper in a heavy line. She stuck out her tongue in concentration as she moved the stick around to create what looked like the outline to her. Though, really, it was shaped more like a bean than anything else.
 
Elland looked at the outline. "Well, it's never going to be a masterpiece on your first attempt. It's all in the practice." Elland wasn't displeased with the result, but it certainly wasn't going to be useful when he shipped it off to potential customer looking for this type of mushroom. "Many things get better and better with practice, my dear. Drawing, baking, carving - all of these things are done by masters who perfect their craft over the years. Magic, my craft, is one of those things that I had to practice to get the hang of. Same thing with speaking other languages. A-KINAI! " Elland shouted and the room filled with light from the illumination toadstools. "Try it one day, you'll find it's quite enjoyable being able to communicate with the plants and people."

Elland smiled and took the parchment and charcoal. "You're free to go for the rest of the afternoon once all of the plants and mushrooms have been tended to. Also, tomorrow morning you may be a little hungrier in the afternoon, but I suggest you avoid the buns. You'll see what I mean later." Elland grinned wryly and turned, heading back up the stairs to his study. She was a different one, she might even possess a little magic. Something that would make the next three months very interesting. He pulled down a book and read for a bit before falling asleep in the thick carpet that adorned the floor of his study.
 
It did not take Royce very long to finish what she was told to do. His mushroom farm was full of rare and exotic fungi but it wasn't to the size of her father's. Once or twice she had to ask the illuminating shrooms to light up for her once more, using the word that he instructed her to use. For the entire time she was there the creeping plant did not come forward again.

When she left she wondered if she should tell the other servants about what the Lord intended to do. That seemed like a terrible thing. What sort of man doped up his servants for his own entertainment? This knowledge set poorly within her stomach; twisted her insides. All of her interactions that day were stiff and mechanical because of it and, in the end, she kept her mouth shut. Her position was precarious as it was. She simply did not need to be in trouble for telling the other househands about Elland's little prank.

In the evening it was she that was tasked to take the lord's dinner to his room. Apparently the man had passed out on the floor of his study like a child and the servants were terrified of waking him. Not that she particularly blamed them, his disposition was not good normally. At least that was the impression she had walked away with.

Carefully she knocked on the door of his quarters. "M'lord!" she exclaimed through the door. "M'lord! Your dinner is here! May I come inside?"
 
Elland was on the floor. He had fallen asleep again. He was a little perturbed that he was being forced awake by a servant, but at least it was the new girl. She kept his interests up, which was good. Typically he got bored easily, which was his greatest curse. He would have done anything to keep himself amused. Magic was his only calling in life and when you practice something so well that it becomes mechanical it was easy to lose the luster that it once had. Magic was still fun, but it was often work as well. He got up off the floor and stumbled to a chair. "Please enter, I could use some dinner."

He heard the door creak and quickly tried to wipe all of the lines of the rug off of his face, but knew it was a futile effort. "Ah, Royce." he pretended to be surprised, as though he had not heard her voice correctly. "what have we got for dinner here?" Elland was curious as to what the evenings meal would be. He knew it would be alright, but he had been yearning for something spectacular. Perhaps if Royce could get the fungi to come forth a little quicker something special could be ordered. He also hoped a pint of ale was accompanying his dinner. "So, Royce, how are you finding things in the castle?"
 
Lavish rooms like these had always had her in awe and, when she entered, she looked around like the county bumpkin that she was. The first time the personal quarters of the lord of the manor had startled her. Now she knew what to expect, the place still held fascination to her. It was a shame that a place so lovely belonged to drunken gambler that had a penchant for terrorizing his servants.

The indentions on his face were concerning and it made her wonder where he could have gotten it from. Until her eyes drifted downward and saw the same fringe pattern there as was on his face. A groan escaped her lips. He had passed out on the floor? Honestly!

"Oh! Yes. The gameskeeper was able to catch several rabbit today. Roasted Rabbit with a creamy fish stew and some green vegetables." She told him. Again she had thought that the dinner was positively wonderful but to him it probably seemed paltry at best. She carefully laid the tray across his lap for him. "Are you feeling alright, m'lord? You have strange lines all over your face..."

The temptation to tease him had been too great and she succumbed to it.
 
Elland was happy to see Rabbit, it was always one of his favorites. There was no beer, but given his delicate constitution from the last couple days of drinking perhaps that was for the best. Elland sighed at the comment. Clearly she was mocking him without actually mocking him. What an interesting girl this was. She was not afraid of his magic. In fact the creeping vine avoided her, something it never did. "There must be something magical to her, maybe she just doesn't know it..." Elland thought to himself. Attractive and magical. How very fortunate for both of them.

Elland smiled and offered Royce to come sit on the floor. "Tomorrow we are going to do some exploring, I think. The staff will be quite busy trying to wash the sun off the walls or the grain out of the wooden floors. They never know when they'll be stirred up by my little prank, but many of them enjoy it. All except Evander... who has figured it out or is immune. Either way, he's the best man I've got so it's best he has a clear head anyways."
 
Royce had purposely left the beer back in the kitchen. This man was going to have some sense to him yet, by the gods, and she would not allow drink to addle his brain throughout all of the day. There was going to come a time where she could no longer get away with 'forgetting' the beverage but for now there was little harm in it.

"Exploring?" she asked with her eyebrows raised. What exactly did he mean by that and why did he insist that it was she that came along? Like he said a moment before; Evander wasn't affected by whatever he slipped into the servants' food. "Wouldn't that look bad... for you to be going about with a young female house hand?"

Though the prospect of adventure was appealing to the dark haired young woman. A slender finger wrapped around a curl as she thought about it all.
 
Elland chuckled. "Believe me, everyone will be on an adventure tomorrow morning. Except Evander. One of these days I will figure that man out."

Elland tucked into his dinner, enjoying it's delicious flavor. Rabbit was a delicious and welcome change from potato bread and gamey venison. He wondered, again, about Royce. What was her story? Could she use magic? That was the only possible explanation. Perhaps she didn't know what she was capable of. Elland had a good way of discovering, he was somewhat certain. Most magic-users discover their talents in stressful situations. Perhaps he just needed to add a little stress to her life.

He looked up at Royce from the floor where he sat, mischief danced in his eyes as he looked upon her. "Well, there are two types of adventures you can take tomorrow. One with me, or one by eating the biscuits tomorrow morning. At least you'll remember the adventure you have with me." Elland said with a menacing chuckle.
 
There was one thing that the pretty young woman knew and that was that she did not want to be subjected to whatever he'd put into the rolls the next day. For a brief moment she thought of objecting to both of those options but then she remembered her father's debt. Royce did not put it past the cad to toss her out for not obeying him. She turned her gaze to her feet and she scuffed the floor with a nervous sort of foot.

"I'd rather, frankly, eat a pinecone," she told him in a flat timbre. "However, seeing I do not have a choice, I suppose the adventure with you is the best option."

There was a strange sense of excitement that burbled inside of her and she wondered exactly what he had planned for the next day. Of course the company was going to be horrendous but Royce was a very outgoing and energetic girl. Being cooped up all day doing house chores had gotten beneath her skin more than she cared to admit.
 
"Rather eat a pinecone? Well, you peasants certainly have been forced to eat some unusual things. Perhaps I will take that into consideration instead of soft breads, meats and cheeses." Elland bristled at the prospect of eating pinecones being more pleasurable than spending time in his company. Especially after what he was planning to do for the girl. "Silly girl. We're going to discover..." Elland halted. He didn't want to give away the surprise he was saving. He became more and more positive that the girl either knew magic or had the ability to use it and he was going to suss it out. The creeping vine gave it away and he was going to show her, one way or the other.

"We're going to discover what sorts of fungii and fauna live in our little forest. There isn't much in the way of dangerous animals, but do be careful around the deer. They get quite skittish if you come upon them by surprise. I expect you to bring a coat or a cloak and you'll want to ensure you have footwear that will keep your feet dry, otherwise you'll catch a cold." Elland gave her a few other safety tips about keeping dry and making sure they brought food for the trip. He also made sure that they didn't pack the biscuits or they'd be out there for hours wondering where they were and what the rocks tasted like. "Also, make sure you get your rest tonight. You'll need it." Elland grinned a smug grin, the kind you give someone when you know something they don't want you to know.
 
Royce couldn't help but roll her eyes. Yes, the statement that came out of her was very brash but there was no need for him to act so offended. With the way he went about things she'd be surprise if no one had told him such a thing. Nobility or not, he acted like the town drunk and she saw nothing redeeming in that.

Hearing about the sort of attire she was to wear made her sign in relief. Just the fall before she had gotten a new pair of leather boots. They cost a small sum but they proved their worth time and time again out in the fields. She also had a shawl passed down from her mother. This was stitched together with random bits of old cloth and looked more like a raggedy snip of patchwork quilt but it served the purpose of keeping her warm.

The safety tips were things she heard before and she looked around his chambers in a way she hadn't before. It was a shame that such a beautiful house was getting sold off piece by piece to pay off one gambling debt or another. The manor was likely a truly beautiful place before he got his greedy little hands on it.

"What could I need my energy for?" she asked, the last bit of his speech sounding sinister enough to garner her attention. "I can't imagine that searching for fungi is that exhausting."
 
"There's more to it than just trolloping through the woods, I assure you. Some of these can be found only in very precarious places or in deep grotto's. There's no telling where one has to go to get some of the good stuff. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. Let's not mention some of the other things I expect..." Elland had no intention of revealing his plans, but he had a subtle means of finding out what he wanted. "However, I should be getting to sleep. I will call upon you in the morning."

The night came and went rather quickly for Elland. He fell asleep reading of some of the more ignored magical practices of the Celts to the north. It was said that they could conjure clouds to rain on a battle or whither the leaves off of an entire grove of trees to uncover the people hiding within a forest. There were several plant-based spells, which was what he wanted. He had a little plan in mind and some of the more antiquated magic from a far-off region might be just the thing he wanted. He learned the spells he wanted and committed them to memory. He knew what he wanted her to do, now he just had to find a way to manipulate her into revealing herself.

He fell asleep in a chair in the corner of his study. He didn't bother to get into his bed as it would have been neglected to be changed today. The servants were already downstairs eating their morning repast. The cook winked at Elland and passed him one of the two bowls of plain porridge with a little molasses mixed in to sweeten it up. "Sorry m'lord, this is all I've got until we can get some money. Otherwise you'd be eating with the rest of us. "Not at all, well done." Elland said, surprised that they even had any porridge or the wheat to make it with. "This will do nicely. Perhaps I can sell some of the plants we're going to get today and get some other supplies."

Elland sat down at the table. "Evander, make sure to take good care of everyone, they'll need your guidance." Three of the staff members knew what that meant and their eyes widened with excitement and fear, but said nothing. Of course Elland had made certain Evander was half-way through his biscuit before telling him. "Once Royce gets here I will be taking Royce out to learn a little of my craft and to learn a little of hers..." Elland stopped himself. "She should be here any moment, the rest of you I expect will have the house spotless." A rousing chorus of "Yes, M'Lord" came back from the staff. Elland waited for Royce to appear.
 
Royce had not slept well. Nervousness chewed at the pits of her stomach and the rancorous choir of crude laughter from the men's bay next door carried her through a partially sleepless night. Finally, around midnight, she fell into a somewhat restless sleep. The lord of the manor had been very cryptic about exactly what they were going to do and she had a feeling it including more than what he had told her. Her dreams were filled with disturbing images of being thrown in a pit as a sacrifice or her being forced to live in the woods for the remainder of her time there.

Dawn had barely risen over the mountains when she was startled awake by the loud clamoring of the other females getting ready for their daily routine.

"C'mon now, sleeping beauty, you best not keep the young master waiting," one of the older caretakers said. Through the sleep in her eyes, Royce could see that smug smile. It crossed her mind that, somehow, every servant knew of her trip with Elland.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the auburn hair girl mumbled as she rolled out of bed, hitting the floor with an audible 'thud'. The other women giggled and moved about there way while she pulled herself up and dressed.

When she walked out to the kitchen she was in her thick dress that did nothing for her figure and the heavy pair of work boots. Wrapped around her shoulders was the awful shawl that looked like it was on its last end. That day she decided to Dutch braid her hair. All in all she appeared rather homely and country bumpkin and entirely grim.

"I am here," she told him through a yawn. She noticed that he was sitting down at the table. Her stomach gave a hungry growl when she detected the fragrance of something sweet but she ignored it. Who knew when the food was going to be spiked?
 
The chef handed over the bowl of porridge to Royce, a liberal sprinkling of brown sugar over the top in the pattern of a flower. The chef grinned and leaned forward and softly whispered in her ear "be careful, don't touch the biscuits." Everything else was laid out for all to consume. The house staff began in on the biscuits and jam, and the chef grinned before sitting down and pocketing one of them for himself later on. At least he wouldn't be left out of the fun if everyone else was going to be playing.

Soon the laughter in the room began as they began talking about their afternoon. The master was going to be out of the house, which could loosen the mood considerably. With every hang-over Elland suffered it was passed around the castle like a cold. Everyone had their turn when the master was sick from the drink. They were all in good cheer and went about their day.

At the conclusion of breakfast Elland motioned to Royce. "Are you ready? There's much to discover today." There was an air of smugness in his voice, as though Elland knew something that Royce didn't. He gathered up his cloak, boots and thick wool socks. He was ready for the chilly morning. There would be dew on the grass and there would be fog in the valleys for a few more hours. That meant they could take their time getting there and be a little more hasty coming back. There hadn't been a sighting of wolves in over 50 years, but there was no sense in making any unsafe assumptions. He packed a few apples, some hard cheese and a few day-old buns into a pack and slung it over his shoulder. He pulled out a small sheepskin satchel for Royce. "Use this for keeping samples. If we see anything outstanding there is red string that we can use to tie to branches to mark our way. Are you ready?" Elland looked to Royce, knowing she'd never be ready for what he was planning.
 
Royce was glad that the porridge offered her was not laden with the fungi as she was starving. Unlike the master of the estate she thought that the meal was more than adequate. All of the porridge she had during her life had been bland and tasteless. Her eyes widened and practically shimmered at the honey coloring of the stuff and at the brown sugar flower. It did not take her long at all to finish off the delicious pottage.

With a sigh she looked up at Elland. There was the temptation to ask for another serving but she knew that pushing the envelop on such matters was not good. After all, she already had prodded at the mage enough the night prior. The tinge of something in his voice also put the young woman on her guard. What exactly was he planning? As questions are want to do, that particular one popped back up in her head.

The dark haired youth took the satchel carefully and nodded her head.

"I am ready," she replied and she slung the sheepskin bag over her shoulder. The thing was light and would not give her much problems at all. "Lead the way, m'lord!"
 
Elland led them down a path through the country-side. They walked through some pleasant grasslands, the smell of dew on wet grass was sweet in the air. A few times they heard the rustle of rabbits in the field and even saw a fox trotting along in search of breakfast. They came to the edge of a forest where there were tall evergreens dispersed intermittently among some birch trees. A well-worn deer path led into a pleasant meadow. He pointed to a rocky path on the other side of the meadow. It was darker, rocky and brown with the needles of spruce.

"In there is what we will find first. There are a few species of toadstools that live on the sides of the spruce trees. These we must be careful with since they are hard and brittle at this time of the year. We'll pry them off of the bark with one of these knives and we'll store it in this sheepskin. If we find a particularly big one we'll have to come back for it with a larger crew. There's one little catch, these ones are 12 feet off of the ground. I hope you're comfortable climbing."

Elland pointed out a tree with a nice ridge of fungus growing along the gnarled bark and branches of the trunk. "That should do nicely."
 
The trek was pleasant and, despite the worry she had before the set out, Royce found that she was enjoying herself. With the fields that the farming required most of the forests around the village had been cleared. The patch that had been left was on the other side of the burg and she rarely got away from her chores to take hikes. The fear melted away the further the pair made their way into the taiga. Being around such lush plants made her feel like she was in her element.

Everything was perfect until her master opened his mouth. His words were informative and to the point, making the warm and homey feeling flee almost instantly. Of course. This wasn't a time for enjoyment. Today they were to gather some fungi or another.

"Climb. A tree?" she asked. "I can do that."

There was an issue with that as she never had much opportunity to climb one. Was it any different than the other things she managed to scramble up? For some reason this was much different than admitting that she couldn't draw. Not being able to do something like this showed weakness and she was not one to show any sort of weaknesses. Even if it meant that it could save her embarrassment later on.

Royce was grateful that the first clump of mushrooms they stumble across is wrapped around the trunk of a tree. She hurried over and carefully began to collect the fungi.
 
RetroWitchcraft said:
The trek was pleasant and, despite the worry she had before the set out, Royce found that she was enjoying herself. With the fields that the farming required most of the forests around the village had been cleared. The patch that had been left was on the other side of the burg and she rarely got away from her chores to take hikes. The fear melted away the further the pair made their way into the taiga. Being around such lush plants made her feel like she was in her element.

Everything was perfect until her master opened his mouth. His words were informative and to the point, making the warm and homey feeling flee almost instantly. Of course. This wasn't a time for enjoyment. Today they were to gather some fungi or another.

"Climb. A tree?" she asked. "I can do that."

There was an issue with that as she never had much opportunity to climb one. Was it any different than the other things she managed to scramble up? For some reason this was much different than admitting that she couldn't draw. Not being able to do something like this showed weakness and she was not one to show any sort of weaknesses. Even if it meant that it could save her embarrassment later on.

Royce was grateful that the first clump of mushrooms they stumble across is wrapped around the trunk of a tree. She hurried over and carefully began to collect the fungi.
Click to expand...

Elland used this opportunity to slip away from the base of the tree. He had gotten a cheap thrill by watching Royce make the first initial steps up the tree, watching her backside as her legs pushed her up the trunk of the tree to the ring of fungi.

He quickly stole away about 100 yards into a thick spruce tree and began his incantation. He mumbled silently to himself as a shape grew in his mind. A very brief flash of light condensed between he and Royce and then the small most of white light grew into a form. A wolf, grey and snarling appeared in the glade.

The wolf was completely lifelike except that it was larger than the average wolf. It was big, standing over 4 feet at the shoulders. It's fangs dripped with saliva and it growled a deep, guttural rumble from the pit of it's belly. It tracked towards the tree and circled the trunk while Royce set to the task of gathering up the fungus from the tree.

Elland conjured an astral projection of himself running away, shrieking. He knew Royce wouldn't give him any credit for any outwards signs of bravery. Even though he was no coward, he was not a braggart or a champion. Running would not seem out of character for a stranger. The astral projection ran shrieking "WOLF! WOLF! FLEEEEEEE!"
 
A strange sensation spread through her and she looked up from her work, hastily stuffing what bit of mushroom she detached from the tree in to her pouch. Something was happening; the hair on the back of her neck rose a little. The bottom of her stomach dropped out and, as the light caught the corner of her eye, she looked up.

Her mouth fell open and instantly dried, making the scream that threatened to rise from her throat go completely silent. Elland didn't have to announce the wolf. She saw it and the beast was HUGE. Bigger than what she imagined a wolf to be. Then again she had never seen one before. Immediately her heart began to pound and a fine sheen of sweat beaded on her upper lip. The tiny girl pressed herself against the tree. A lump rose in her throat and, even with a good amount of work, it refused to go back down into her guts.

What happened next was completely by accident. There was no way she could train her magic back at the village. It was wild and she did knot have the proper knowledge to control the energy. Visibly the magical force that was around her began to crack and shimmer. It was a pale gold in color, surprisingly noble for one like her. This was undirected panic.

I need to calm down. I need to think things through.

But there was no thinking about it. Her body lifted very slowly from the ground. It wasn't fast and at any moment the magic could break completely, making her fall back into the mercy of the ferocious animal.
 
Elland watched from his hidden perch in the trees. He sat stunned by the complexity and elegance of the spell that Royce conjured. It was unrefined, pure instinct possibly handed down from her mother (since father's seldom passed magic onto their female offspring) but it was powerful. Strong and well woven, in spite of her lack of refinement. He was about to dissipate the wolf, to let her panic subside, but decided against it. She had a strong tie to environmental magic, perhaps there were other things she was capable of.

Elland was no longer thinking of Royce as a mere serf, a peasant to be ordered about. Now she was a potential student. The best way to learn what a student is capable of is to test them. The wolf would not harm her, but he would be convincing enough to perhaps allow Royce's other innate abilities to show forth. Perhaps she was only capable of environmental magic, perhaps others were outside her talents. It certainly explained the shyness of the creeping vine.

Elland altered the wolf's behavior. The wolf snapped towards Royce. It did not make contact with her, since that would cause the wolf to dissipate, but it looked as though it were examining her. It circled her, walking around behind her as though it was trying to find a weakness. It circled twice and leapt at her, snapping it's jaws as it barely missed her. Elland watched intently, hoping for another outward sign of her hidden abilities.
 
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